Sunshine
by omnomnomsmile
Summary: It's been days. Days since Christian Ozera had been betrayed by his aunt, days since he has talked to anyone. Set during Last Sacrifice between Tasha Ozera's attempt on Lissa's life and Lissa's coronation. Reviews are cupcakes so please :


Looking into the mirror, Christian grimaced at what he saw. Unusually sharp cheekbones, even for a Moroi, slashed out of sick and pale- looking skin. Blue eyes that were normally blazing with life had dulled until they were slightly hazy, as if a fog had come and set itself over behind his eyes. Unkempt hair hung in dead, flat strands around his face, some of it poking into his eyes. Dark circles under his eyes were turning purple, the result of many a night's lack of sleep. Christian felt his throat burn with thirst, and flinched when he felt his fangs curve painfully against his lip.

His phone buzzed, snapping him from his self-inspection. Muscles burning with pain, Christian ambled to his bedroom and glanced at his phone's screen. Seeing Lissa's name flash across the screen, Christian felt his heart squeeze painfully.

Lissa Dragomir. The only girl that had ever made him feel like he was worth something, something more than just the pretty bad boy people seemed to have labeled him until he met her. She was the only one who could truly make him feel at peace, and Christian was sure that even without her affinity for Spirit, she would have the same affect on him anyways. He loved how she was so selfless, so brave, and so kind. He loved the way her green eyes sparkled and lit up whenever she saw him. He loved the way she walked, the way she talked, and the way she managed to wield authority and power humbly yet powerfully.

Essentially, he loved her and everything about her.

_Then why aren't you picking up the phone?_A voice inside his mind said snidely. Grinding his teeth, Christian rolled onto the bed, glaring, frustrated, at the phone.

Christian had thought that if there was still one person in his family he could trust, it was Tasha, his aunt. She had been there since the day his parents died, taking him in and raising him as her own. Christian knew without a doubt that she loved him as much as a mother could love her son. She would do anything for him, and he knew that he would do the same.

Then she went and tried to kill Lissa.

As Tasha pulled the trigger that day, Christian felt some tiny part in him fall apart. Once that tiny piece of him broke, the millions of ropes that kept the other pieces in his heart together shattered and withered until they were bare threads. He remembered gaping at his aunt with shock and betrayal written clearly on his face. He remembered staring into her eyes as she was dragged away by the dhampir, eyes pleading for him to understand, to listen. He remembered turning away from those eyes, which were so much like his, and instead moved to help Dmitri carry Rose to the infirmary.

He had betrayed and been betrayed by the only family he had left.

His phone buzzed again, but this time, it went straight to voicemail. "_Christian?"_Lissa's high, clear, and worried voice floated into his ears. _"Christian? I know you're there. Look,"_Here, Lissa seemed to take in a deep breath as if she were preparing a lengthy speech. Christian smiled. Knowing his girlfriend, she probably was. "_What Tasha did- or, well, tried to do- that wasn't your fault. You are in no way connected or linked to what she has done, so don't take blame on yourself for not seeing Tasha for who she truly was."_

Suddenly, the fire-manipulating Moroi found himself blinking back tears.

_"She tricked us all, Christian, not just you. We were blinded by her friendliness and her seeming willingness to help whenever we asked for it. Don't hate her for doing that to you. She truly believed in what she was fighting for- and that was a future where the Moroi could stop being lazy, uptight pains and start defending themselves. A future where dhampirs could live freely if they chose to do so without persecution or looking down upon. Even I don't hate her for trying to kill me. Truly, I don't. I pity her. I pity that this was the path she had to take, that this was the result of her actions. She needs to face the consequences for those actions though. You did the right thing, not leaping forward to help or protect her."_

"Lissa," Christian whispered, putting as much emotion into her name as possible. Of course, she couldn't hear it.

_"Come talk to me. Or Dmitri. Just get out of your room and come in contact with another living thing, okay? If not for yourself, then for me?"_

Silence filled the room.

"_I love you, Christian. Always know that."_

With a click, she hung up.

Without another thought, Christian got up and walked to the door despite him being half-naked from the waist-up. He flung the door open, only to see Lissa gazing up at him with her mesmerizing jade green eyes.

There wasn't a need for words. Christian fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around Lissa's waist and pulled her close. Sobbing into her stomach, Christian let all the hurt and pain he had kept inside himself the past few days rush out.

As Lissa sank to the floor with him, stroking his hair and murmuring soothing words, Christian finally felt closure starting to envelop him. Here, bathed in his sunshine's rays, he was starting to feel complete. Whole. As if the ropes that had bound his heart were finally weaving themselves back together again.

Even when Christian's tears had dried, he held Lissa in his embrace, needing something to cling onto. Looking up, he smiled softly at her.

"You're like my personal sun, you know?" He said softly. "The sunshine I'd like to feel forever?" Before she could respond, Christian rose and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Rising so that they were both standing, Christian felt something return to him. An old fire, much like the one the Christian from before all this Strigoi and Court mess started, suddenly blazed up inside him.

"You'll never see me like that again," he promised, gazing steadily into her eyes. "I promise."

Inside, Christian desperately hoped that his promise would hold. After all, it wouldn't do for his sunshine to dim because of something he did, would it?


End file.
